Toy parachute



(No Model.)

8. W. KELLEY. I

TOY PARAGHUTE;

No. 444,441. Patented Jan. 13, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL W. KELLEY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

TOY PARACHUTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,441, dated January 13, 1891.

Application filed June 14, 1890. Serial No. 355,424. (No model.)

To all whom it nccty concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. KELLEY, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Parachutes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in toy parachutes; and it consists in certain features of construction and in combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the device folded or closed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section,showing the device open or distended. Fig. 3 shows the manner of operating the toy in connection with a kite or balloon.

A represents the parachute, constructed somewhat like an umbrella, in that. it has a handle B and a folding frame-work, the latter being adapted to be expanded by the action of one or more springs. For instance, spring E may be coiled around the handle above sleeve 0, the spring being attached to the sleeve and to the upper end of the handle.

In place of a spiral spring (shown) a rubber spring or other form of spring would answer the purpose. The spring is lengthened in closing the parachute, and hence the recoil of this spring tends to open or distend the parachute.

Bows D, any or all of them, may be constructed of spring-wire, with the arrangement such that the spring-bows are strained in closing the parachute, in which case the springbows would open the parachute. Handle B may be constructed of spring-wire, so that it may be doubled up and folded inside the parachute in folding the latter. Handle B terminates in a bail B, to which bail is pivoted on line b b a jumping-jack F.

The parachute is folded, as shown in Fig. 1, and a piece of preferably stifftwine G is wound several times around the parachute, and in such condition the toy is thrown into the air. The elasticity of the twine and the internal pressure of the parachute caused by the spring aforesaid soon causes the string to unwind, so that by the time the toy begins to descend it is free from the twine, whereupon the toy assumes the position shown in 2 and descends slowly. The sudden recoil or straightening of the spring-handle B as the parachute unfolds causes the jumping-jack, that-is not quite balanced on its pivotal bearings, to revolve rapidly.

On throwing the toy into the air, its aerial flight maybe greatly lengthened by inclosing a good-sized pebble or other weight inside the parachute as the latter is folded. Of course such pebble or weight falls out as soon as the parachute opens.

The toy when folded may be lound by one convolution of a slight string, the long end of the string being looped and passed under the encircling part of the twine, while the short end of the string is fastened, for instance, to a balloon or to the tail of a kite, while the long end of the string is retained in hand. When the toy has been carried to a suitable height, by pulling on the string the latter is untied and the parachute set free and descends in the manner aforesaid.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. A toy parachute constructed with a folding frame and having one or more springs adapted to distend the same, such spring or springs being compressed or strained in folding the parachute, substantially as set forth.

2. In a toy parachute adapted to be folded or distended, a spring-handle adapted to be folded inside the parachute in folding the latter, substantially as set forth.

The combination, with a toy parachute having a spring-handle, substantially as indicated, of a jumping-jack pivoted to the extremity of such handle, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of two witnesses, this 4th day of June, 1890.

' SAMUEL W. KELLEY.

Witnesses:

C. H. DORER, WARD HOOVER. 

